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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. can — to be able to
  5. kick — in football
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. dip — to sink
  13. squash — to crush
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. can — a tin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. squash — the sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fork — in a road

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com